Punjab poll percentage touches 41

The highest voter turnout was registered at Sangrur.

In Punjab where elections are taking place for 13 parliamentary constituencies a little over 41 per cent of the voters has cast their ballot till 3 PM. Skirmishes between SAD and Congress workers have been reported from Sangatpura in Moga, where at least seven people were injured.

A 48 year old woman on poll duty died of cardiac while on election duty at Nihal Singh Wala town in Moga. Reports of SAD workers trying to break an EVM have been received from Patiala following which the police has registered a case.

The highest voter turnout was registered at Sangrur at 51.9 per cent where the sitting Congress MP Vijay Inder Singla is battling to retain the seat against former MP and SAD candidate Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. The AAP candidate Bhagwant Mann giving the both a tough fight.

Voters have turned out in large numbers in Bathinda at 48.7 per cent. Here the Badal Bahu Harsimrat Kaur is fighting to retain her seat against brother in law Manpreet Singh Badal. These two constituencies had registered the highest polling percentage in the Lok Sabha elections in 2009.

Amritsar, where BJP’s Arun Jaitley is fighting former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has seen almost 42.6 per cent polls. The lowest voting per centage has been recorded at Khadoor Sahib where till 3 pm only 29.3 per cent of the voters had cast their vote.

Jalandhar is also not showing much enthusiasm in the elections registering only 32.3 per cent voter turnout. All other constituencies had crossed the 35 per cent polling mark till 3pm.

Ludhiana which had recorded the least polling percentage in 2009 polls has voted 40 per cent by 3 PM. Other than announcing a state wide holiday the election commission had ordered the closure of all mandis for today to ensure that farmers are not busy with the procurement of wheat and are free to vote.

With the average maximum temperatures crossing over 40 degrees at most places in the state polling has slowed down and is likely to pick up after 4pm. Live webcasting of 338 polling booths across the state has been running well since the voting began.